Ambulatory Education

The goal of our ambulatory curriculum is to prepare our residents to function independently in the outpatient setting, no matter what they decide to do after training.

The core of the ambulatory experience is the continuity clinic. Each resident has the same continuity clinic site for the entire duration of residency either at Georgetown University Hospital, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, or the Virginia Hospital Center. Each site provides a rich ambulatory experience where residents work closely with Medicine faculty dedicated to the Georgetown tradition of teaching and mentoring. Residents develop a panel of patients and serve as the primary physician for those patients for the duration of their three years. In addition, we offer a comprehensive evidence-based curriculum that covers common ambulatory medical problems including acute illness, chronic disease management, and preventive care. Residents and faculty discuss this material during case-based discussions that occur prior to each clinic session.

In July 2014, we transitioned to a novel 4+2+2 schedule for our 2nd and 3rd year residents and we are happy to announce that categorical interns will also join the block schedule starting in July 2016. This schedule consists of four weeks of inpatient time (when there is no continuity clinic), two weeks of elective, and two weeks of clinic block. This structure enables residents to focus on their inpatient and outpatient responsibilities without distractions. It has led to improved resident satisfaction.

During the clinic block, residents receive a broad ambulatory education that includes both their continuity clinic and the opportunity to work in subspecialty clinics. In addition, there is the opportunity to rotate at the Georgetown University Student Health clinic, Bread for the City, and the HOYA Clinic (see links below for more details). The weekly outpatient didactic sessions contain a mix of lectures from our core faculty, interactive case-based discussions, and board review sessions led by the ambulatory chief resident. The clinic block also contains dedicated time to develop a quality improvement project.

Bread for the City: The mission of Bread for the City is to provide vulnerable residents of Washington, D.C., with comprehensive services, including food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

HOYA Clinic: The HOYA Clinic is a student-driven free clinic. It is managed by medical students of the Georgetown University School of Medicine and caters to the health needs of D.C.’s homeless and uninsured.

Additional ambulatory rotations occurring in the junior and senior years include a month of Geriatrics and a month on the Internal Medicine consultation service. During the Internal Medicine consult month, our house officers spend 50 percent of their time in the outpatient setting performing preoperative evaluations. We also offer a Primary Care elective for residents seeking additional outpatient experience. This includes opportunities to rotate through many non-medicine subspecialties such as Neurology, Dermatology, Urology, ENT, Sports Medicine, Womens’ Health and Acupuncture. In addition, all interns and residents spend time in the outpatient setting during subspecialty elective rotations.